Have a Nice Trip (See You Next Fall)
by Raeolu
Summary: In which sand is slipperier than anyone had anticipated, and no one is immune to gravity.
1. Chapter 1: A Particularly Unhappy Banner

NieR: Automata and its characters belong to their respective owners, not to me. I'm just playing around in their sandbox.

* * *

Chapter 1: Like A Particularly Unhappy Banner

A modulated scream split the air as the sword struck home. The machine lifeform's stubby arms scrabbled in vain at the blade protruding from its chest, its shrieks glitching erratically. With one final spasm, its pincer-like hands fell limply to its sides.

"I wish they didn't make that noise all the time," complained Unit 9S, tugging his sword free from the mechanical carcass. It slumped over into the sand, eyes dim. "It's not like they can actually feel emotions, anyway."

The android took a moment to check his weapon over for damage, before dismissing it to hang suspended in the air behind him. "What do you think, 2B?"

YoRHa Unit 2B flicked a chunk of scrap metal off her sword. "Our mission is to investigate the desert's increased machine activity. Not to debate philosophy."

Finished speaking, the female android began striding deeper into the labyrinth of dunes and ruins. 9S scrambled to catch up, sending up puffs of sand beneath his feet.

"I mean, I guess you're right. You do have to admit they've been acting weird, though."

2B made a vaguely assenting noise, eyes scanning past the shadows beneath a shattered apartment building as they walked. No movement yet, but a Battle unit's job required constant vigilance. 9S was right – the machines had been acting stranger than usual lately. An erratic enemy is an unpredictable enemy, and an unpredictable enemy is dangerous.

Her eyes hardened, remembering her last encounter with an machine that had fallen "outside of predictions." 9S had managed to upload a backup of her consciousness data just before the two had perished, but he hadn't had time to do the same for himself. That 9S was dead now, restored from backup without any memory of the mission.

The two androids had created new backups before entering the desert, but there was nowhere near enough bandwidth to update them from this deep in the labyrinth. If they died here, they would lose all of the knowledge they had gained from their investigation. A new 2B and 9S would open their eyes on the YoRHa bunker, as if they had never started their mission.

2B's grip tightened imperceptibly on her weapon.

"And then there was that mess they were spouting about not wanting to fight. While they were attacking us!" Oh, 9S was still talking. "I'll believe it when I see it," the Scanner unit scoffed, continuing to trudge along beside 2B. "Machines only understand violence and destruction."

2B glanced at the sword clutched in her hand, at the blade floating behind 9S, at the great sword drifting behind her, and at the two small tactical support Pods hovering behind the pair, equipped with ranged artillery. Perhaps the same comment could be made about androids.

"Hey! That's not what I meant," 9S said, presumably seeing something reflected on her face. An unfortunate slip in decorum. It would not happen again. "The machine lifeforms don't even understand what peace means. They were just sent here to destroy everything in their path. We were made to protect – to defend the last of humanity." 9S waved his arms around in a gesture that was likely meant to explain his point. It mostly just resembled a moose trying to sew.

He rolled his eyes. "Even that machine we chased in here was probably just running away to grab reinforcements." The scanner turned to the box-like robot floating next to him. "Pod 153, if I ever encounter a "nonviolent machine," scan me for a logic virus contamination."

"Request approved," beeped the support unit. 2B briefly wondered what kind of criteria a Pod would use to judge the peacefulness of a machine lifeform, then dismissed it as irrelevant. It wasn't like it would ever come up.

.-.-.

2B was growing very tired of mazes.

The android kicked the latest would-be ambusher in its spherical head, sending it reeling back. Its lightbulb "eyes" flickered for a moment, before registering the sword hilt that suddenly sprouted from its forehead. Like a marionette with its strings cut, it fell to the ground, sand rippling out like waves. 2B recalled her sword in a shower of pixelated sparks, leaving the body to be consumed by the slowly spreading desert.

Tch. She'd lost the one she was chasing again. It must have run while she was busy fighting. 2B looked around for her partner, but he appeared to have fallen behind.

"042, status report."

"Analysis," provided her support Pod, hovering behind her. "Unit 9S is located approximately 48m to the south. No machine lifeforms detected. Proposal: Unit 2B should regroup to increase tracking potential."

"Understood." Leaving the battlefield behind, 2B began tracing her path back through the sands.

.-.-.

"9S…"

"You know, for someone who keeps saying 'emotions are prohibited,' you sure can pack a lot of feeling into two syllables."

"9S."

"There you go again! See – I'm a good influence on you! We've only been partnered for a little while, and just look at all these new things we've been learning together!"

"_9S._"

"Um, so, us Scanners work best from a bit of a distance, you know! We're not exactly built for close-quarters like you Battle units are. So I figured I'd be more help if I could get a better vantage point! But, well, it turns out that sand gives less traction than I'd thought, and-"

"Analysis," interrupted Pod 042. "Unit 9S appears to be suspended from the remnants of an external staircase. Proposal: descend."

"That's what I've been trying!" The dangling Scanner flailed, attempting to free himself from the fragment of railing. He spun gently in the breeze, like a particularly unhappy banner. "My shirt's stuck, ok. Now can you get me down?"

2B was abruptly reminded of a photo YoRHa Operator 6O had shown her once. In it, some unfamiliar animal had carried its young around by the scruff of its neck. Watching 9S's feet kick at the air, 2B suddenly felt more empathy for that furred creature than she had ever felt before.

She held back a sigh. "Fine."

"Thanks, 2B. There's some pretty good footholds over in that direction, but you might want to dust them off first."

2B ignored him and started lining up angles.

"Heh, you can put that sword away. Actually, you know, on second thought? I think I'm good! I'll just find a way down on my own, nO NEED TO-"

The shock wave from 2B's swing cut through the air just behind 9S, neatly severing the fragment of metal that connected him to the building. With an undignified yelp, 130 kilograms of panicked android reunited with the ground, face-first.

"Gee, thanks, 2B," 9S coughed, spitting out a mouthful of sand. "I was just thinking about how much I missed having sand in every pore of my body."

2B tried to catch her smile before it could emerge, shoving down the display of emotion. Judging by 9S's expression, she was only partially successful. "Come on. We have a mission to accomplish."

"Yeah, yeah," said the Scanner, brushing metal shavings from his uniform.

They had work to do.


	2. Chapter 2: A Familiar, Unwelcome Feeling

NieR: Automata and its characters belong to their respective owners, not to me.

* * *

Chapter 2: A Familiar, Albeit Unwelcome Feeling

2B wasn't sure why the old-world humans had decided an unlocked box on an external staircase had been a good place to store a weapon, but she wasn't complaining. The dual-bladed axe cut through machines like paper, albeit with more death and mechanical screaming than was typically associated with the fragile substance.

Although, now that she was thinking about it, most of the paperwork she'd seen in Resistance bases and the YoRHa bunker had to do with the war efforts. The two groups would frequently cooperate on missions, much like 2B and 9S's current assignment. Perhaps this _was_ the average amount of carnage for a piece of paper.

2B absently sifted through the insides of the last machine she'd bisected, pulling out a few small gears. The weaponsmith back at the Resistance camp may find them useful for something. If not, she could just sell them as scrap metal. Scavenging iron from machines was more efficient during wartime than mining.

2B looked down at its destroyed torso. It had been spouting a few lines about feeling fear before she killed it. Their words were growing more complex. Glancing at the machine's sightless eyes, she wondered what it meant, or if it meant anything at all. Something unpredictable was occurring here, and she didn't like it.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a Pod call from 9S. Unusual – he usually preferred to report in person. She answered the call.

"Hey, 2B?" He sounded somewhat unnerved. "I found something while I was scouting ahead. You're going to want to see this - it should be just around the corner from your position."

2B gripped her blade.

"I'm on my way."

.-.-.

The corridor was filled with androids. Dead androids. Android corpses. Covering the dunes with a veil of shattered hopes and dreams. 9S was on the ground with them, sand coiling around his body as he lay motionless.

9S was-

9S was standing a few meters away, scuffing his boot on the ground. Alive. Unharmed. He was peering around at the scene, curious as always.

A drop of machine oil from her recent battle fell from 2B's sword, onto the shattered torso of an old YoRHa unit. A Gunner model, by the looks of it. A sharp piece of rebar protruded from its chest, splitting it almost in two. 2B felt its lifeless eyes staring into her soul, judging her for her sins.

"2B!" 9S jogged over to his partner. "What do you think these are doing here?"

His hands clutched his black box – the beating heart of all YoRHa models – and stretched it towards her as the titanic machines closed in. She reached forward with her own and

His hands were holding nothing. There were no machines on her scanners. Everything was within acceptable mission parameters.

2B took a deep breath in, then released it slowly. Emotions were an unnecessary distraction from a soldier's duty. Release the past, let it flow away. Release the emotions, let them flow away. All that remains is the present, marching ever towards the future. We are soldiers. We do our duty. Anything else is unnecessary.

2B reopened her eyes, unsure of when she'd closed them. 9S was standing nearby, peering at her face in concern.

"You alright, 2B? You spaced out there for a minute."

She flicked her eyes back towards the piled-up androids. "I'm fine. We should figure out what's doing this."

9S looked somewhat doubtful, but accepted the change in topic. "042 thinks they were killed by local machine lifeforms, but I'm not sure. Some of these bodies are pretty old."

2B glanced around. On closer inspection, he was right. Some of the corpses were fresh – presumably originating from the recent Resistance investigations. However, others had already begun to degrade from exposure to the elements. One in the corner was little more than a pile of rusted metal that conveyed a faint impression of a humanoid form.

"It's like they were gathered here," 9S said, trailing off as he peered up at a body hanging suspended in the air, pinned by a long metal pole.

9S was probably right, 2B realized. This couldn't have been the aftermath of a single battle. The machines the pair had fought to get here were powerful, but not to that degree. 2B suppressed a shiver. She was a soldier. She was used to the sight of death. But… this wasn't a battlefield. Surrounded the shredded corpses of other androids, 2B felt more like she was standing in a macabre trophy room.

What was this? Was this some sort of ambush point? There had been no sign of that. Aside from the bodies, the area seemed relatively undisturbed. No, this was a threat display, designed to ward invaders away from the center of the labyrinth. That kind of decision-making was far beyond anything 2B had known machine lifeforms were capable of.

It was unprecedented.

It was unpredictable.

It was _dangerous_.

.-.-.

2B took a deep breath, then let it out. Release the emotions. The present is all that matters. Eyes scanning the area for more information, 2B reviewed her mission parameters.

Primary objective: Investigate the desert's strange machine activity.

Secondary objective: eliminate the machine lifeforms.

With how erratic the machines had been acting, she was giving information-gathering priority over combat. If this wasn't an isolated incident, Command would need all the warning it could get. However, without the required bandwidth, the two YoRHa units had not yet been able to upload anything to the Bunker.

2B felt ice trickle through her circuits. This had been viewed as a relatively low-priority mission, mostly assigned to strengthen relationships between YoRHa and the Resistance. If 2B and 9S died in this desert and were restored from backup, the Resistance leader would likely deem it a waste of resources. They would be assigned to a different mission.

How long had 2B and 9S been in the desert? Less than a week – a few days at most. And already 2B could see a difference in the machines she'd just cut down and those she'd encountered at the start. If the desert's machines were allowed to continue on unchecked much longer, would the android forces be able to stop them?

A trickle of emotion curled its way through 2B's mind. She brushed it away, but it clung to her like sand, gritty and irritating. The feeling was familiar, albeit unwelcome.

Staring into the mouth of the shadowed tunnel of rebar and concrete at the corridor's end, strewn with the bodies of fallen androids, 2B felt the stirrings of fear.

No. Emotions are unnecessary.

2B stepped forward without hesitation, striding into the darkness. Close on her heels, 9S followed.


	3. Chapter 3: Swirling Streams of Light

Chapter 3: Swirling Streams of Light

2B squinted as they walked, trying to peer through the dusty tunnel. The twists and turns were difficult enough to make out in the low light, and the sand clouding the air wasn't making things any easier. Not the first time since the pair had started this mission, 2B wished that androids didn't need to breathe. The gritty particles scraped and burned against the inside of her throat. There had to be more efficient cooling systems available. For a moment, 2B felt almost envious of the machine lifeforms, before catching herself and shaking the thought out of her head.

"I think I saw that machine from before run in here while I was scouting," said 9S. Ah yes, the one they'd chased into the labyrinth. It was just a standard bipedal machine – the same rusted joints and coils as the rest – but it was somewhat… frustrating that it kept getting away from them.

2B glanced at an android corpse lying slouched against the wall of the tunnel. They had wasted too much time outside - it was probably long gone by now.

Or not, apparently.

"There it goes!" yelled 9S, pointing at the machine in question.

"They don't give up!" its monotone voice cried. "Run! Run!" The machine fled around the corner ahead, 2B and 9S following in close pursuit.

.-.-.

The tunnel ended abruptly, spilling out into a gigantic cavern. Sunlight streamed down on chunks of ruined apartment buildings, collapsed inwards under the force of a giant sinkhole. The metallic skeletons of ancient apartments jutted up through the rubble, trying in vain to support buildings that had long since crumbled to dust. The thin film of sand that drifted through the air clung to every surface, slowly consuming the ruined city. In a handful of millennia, nothing would be left to mark its presence among the shifting dunes.

A trail of settling particles made its way down to the bottom of the sinkhole. The machine was cornered – apart from the tunnel they'd just exited, 2B couldn't see any other ways to escape the area. The rusted spires of rebar made following the skid marks too dangerous for an android-sized creature. A pity. They would have to wind their way down along the sides of the pit. She started moving, 9S keeping stride.

"Multiple machines detected ahead… but what's with these android bodies?" he muttered, breaking 2B out of her thoughts.

It was an important question. Even here, he larger pieces of rubble were littered with the bodies of fallen androids. Something was wrong here. "Stay focused," she warned.

The pit was a dead end – why would anything flee here? It would have had much better odds if it had tried to escape into the open desert. 2B's danger senses began to ring. Something was wrong here. She needed to-

2B lost her footing for a moment, the sand underneath her foot slipping. Responding on instinct, she used her sword to stabilize herself, stabbing it into the rubble she was standing on.

A loud CRACK! echoed through the cavern.

Abruptly, the fragment of roof gave way, sending the two androids plummeting towards the bottom of the sinkhole. 2B had a split second to screw her eyes shut before she hit the ground hard, sending up a plume of sand.

9S spiraled down gently with the aid of his Pod, taking a moment to grin at her. "Not as much fun on this end, is it?"

2B pulled her face out of the impact crater and spat a wad of sand in his direction. He dodged, snickering. Helping her stand, he glanced up at the cavern's center.

The grin slipped off his face.

Pulling her weapon free, 2B spun around.

.-.-.

The sight that met her eyes was nothing like what she'd anticipated. The center of the pit, cleared of rubble and android corpses, was filled with machine lifeforms. That fact itself was within normal expectations, but…

"Child. Child. Child," repeated a rusty machine, rocking a crudely-made basket back and forth. Its glowing eyes were fixed on a long piece of fabric in the center, vaguely arranged in a humanoid shape.

Another machine threw itself into the air, only to crash down. "Carry. Me. Carryyyy," it said, standing up to jump again.

Staring at this mockery of human life, 2B faltered. "What is this?" This wasn't how machines behaved. This wasn't an attack, this wasn't a retreat – this was the antithesis of everything she had been taught about their enemy. Her hands twitched where they were wrapped around her sword's hilt, gripping and releasing, gripping and releasing, tormented by indecision.

Her partner had no such qualms. "Don't listen to them, 2B," he said.

("Together. Forever. Together. Forever," a machine intoned in the background.)

9S raised his sword. "They don't have any feelings. They're just imitating human speech." He started moving forward.

The jumping machine was the first to notice his approach. It turned to face the android, and leapt forwards.

"Pod 153, open fire," 9S commanded. Glowing bullets tore through its casing. Its insides sparked, creating a miniature explosion as it hit the ground. "Come on, 2B. Let's take them out."

If the crowd hadn't noticed the two androids before, they had certainly noticed them now. 2B dashed forward to cover her partner. Talking could happen later. None of the information 2B and 9S had gathered would be of any use if they perished. Survival had to take top priority.

("Love. Love. Love. Love," chanted a machine, arms reaching towards her. 2B stabbed it through the head.)

Dodge left. Slash right. Maintain cover fire. Eliminate the threat.

Shrapnel from an exploding machine flew wide, clipping the side of the crude basket. It toppled sideways, crashing to the ground. The fabric "child" spilled out, unraveling as it hit the sand.

The machine the two YoRHa units had been chasing dropped down into the clearing, bringing others with it.

"I'll get you for this," it cried, monotone. 9S raised a hand, hacking into its mainframe. With a digitized scream, it exploded into a pile of scrap metal, taking out two others that had been standing too close.

More and more machine lifeforms crawled out of sunken buildings and into the center of the cavern. "Kill the androids," they cried. "Hatred. Pain."

The bodies of machines were strewn about the clearing. Blades flashed and clashed, cutting through one foe after another.

"This. Cannot. Continue," said a machine, just before 2B's axe cleaved it in half.

2B flung her sword at a machine sneaking up behind her partner, her mind working overdrive as she analyzed the threats pouring in from all angles. "This. Cannot. Continue," said another machine, rushing at her. She called her blade and slashed at it, fending it off.

9S brought his sword down, slicing through another enemy. "This. Cannot. Continue," cried a nearby machine, as it was hit by shavings of metal.

"This. Cannot. Continue," intoned a machine, waving its arms.

"This. Cannot. Continue," responded another, backing away from the combat.

The machines' motions slowed, then stopped. 2B and 9S drew back, wary.

For a moment, nothing moved.

"This. Cannot. Continue. This. Cannot. Continue. This. Cannot. Continue. This. Cannot. Continue. This. Cannot. Continue. This. Cannot. Continue. This. Cannot. Continue." The machines burst into a frenzy of action, gripping their heads, stomping their feet, chanting in unison.

As if possessed, they turned as one and began climbing up the metal supports peppering the clearing. ("This. Cannot. Continue. This. Cannot. Continue.") In a matter of moments, each pillar supported a chain of metallic bodies, converging above the center of the battlefield. ("This. Cannot. Continue. This. Cannot. Continue.")

"What the? What's happening?" 9S stuttered out, gripping his weapon.

2B had no words to answer him. A gigantic sphere of machine lifeforms hung suspended in the center of the pit. It seemed to glow ominously, though from where that light originated, she didn't dare guess.

This was worse than the factory. This was worse than the desert. This was worse than anything she had ever seen. Against this kind of threat, 2B had no idea how to defend herself or 9S.

.-.-.

If they died here, YoRHa would face this threat blind.

.-.-.

The orb pulsed, in the mockery of a heartbeat. The glow grew stronger, the sphere of machines beginning to crack down the middle. Rivers of light dripped from the gap as it grew wider.

Something fell.

A humanoid shape hit the sand, surrounded by swirling streams of light.

"An… android?" 2B faltered, incredulous.

It planted shaky hands on the ground, beginning to stand up. Silver hair draped around its face, the same color as their own.

"No!" 9S said, stuttering. "This… this is a machine!"

The figure finished standing, streams of light disappearing back into its bare skin like they'd never existed. 9S raised his sword and readied his posture for a forward charge.

"FALL BACK," barked 2B.

Startled, 9S faltered. "We don't know what this thing is capable of," she bit out. "Keep to the defensive."

2B grabbed the back of the Scanner's uniform, jerking him backwards, hopefully out of the immediate range of whatever had just fallen out of that… cocoon.

Apparently attracted by the motion, the thing turned to face the two androids.

It raised its leg to take a step in their direction, and-

The sand under its foot shifted.

The machine hit the ground, face-first


	4. Chapter 4: A Surprising Level of Empathy

NieR: Automata and its characters belong to their respective owners, not to me.

* * *

Chapter 4: A Surprising Level of Empathy

2B and 9S stared in shocked silence as the machine lifeform hit the ground. A small cloud of sand drifted up around its collapsed form.

2B glanced at her partner. For once in his life, 9S appeared to be speechless. He looked back and forth from the machine and 2B, likely waiting for some sort of command. She shook her head slowly, without lowering her stance. There was no precedent for this sort of situation.

Bracing itself on its forearms, the entity raised its head off the ground. It opened its mouth and took a breath, only to choke slightly and cough out a small chunk of rock. A lock of sand-laden hair fell in front of its face at the motion, ruining what would have otherwise been an almost impressive glower.

2B couldn't help herself. She glanced from the fallen machine to 9S, an almost imperceptible grin on her face.

"Hey!" complained the Scanner, following her train of thought. He self-consciously swiped sand out of hair, dislodging another fragment of staircase. He stared at it for a moment, before quickly hiding it with his shoe. "Like you're any better, Captain Skydive!" he snapped, face reddening.

2B ignored him. Her fall had been a completely understandable accident. It wasn't relevant here in the slightest.

She looked back over at the machine, which seemed to be trying to get the gritty particles out of its mouth. It braced itself on one arm and wiped at its tongue with its hand. Much to its dismay, it found this hand to be equally covered the substance. The creature looked at its limbs as if they had betrayed it.

9S made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a choked-off laugh. The machine's eyes snapped up, following the sound.

The two androids tensed, raising their weapons again. When had they started lowering them? The creature before them began to ascend once more, rising to its knees. It started to bring one foot forward to stand and-

Face-first, back into the ground it went.

.-.-.

A muffled sound of protest emerged from where it was lying, face crushed once more into the sand. 9S's cheeks puffed out briefly, before he lost it completely.

"Pfft, ah ha ha ha! 2B! Its… Its feet got stuck together!" the Scanner wheezed in between breaths, snickering. Still on guard, 2B inched closer to the struggling form to get a better view. He was right – somehow, the machine had managed to get its feet tangled in the remnants of the cloth "child" she'd noticed earlier.

It lifted its head again, sand trickling down its face, and looked directly at her. Somehow, its belabored expression felt familiar.

"AH HA HA HA! 2B! It looks exactly like you!" 9S was practically howling with laughter. "Look at that SCOWL!" The Scanner reached his hand out to steady himself, gripping a rusted clump of old piping. He broke off a piece and wandered over, grinning like the idiot he was.

2B pointedly did not scowl at him. He must have been mistaken. If anything, the machine resembled him far more than it resembled her, what with its masculine appearance and its propensity for idiotic maneuvers.

The machine in question had managed to sit up again, and was attempting to free its legs. It seemed to be muttering to itself, with a look of concentration on its face.

Slowly, carefully, 9S reached out with his metal pipe… and pushed the machine over.

"WhyYyyYYy," came the garbled response, as it once again hit the ground.

"Hey, 2B," 9S said, standing above the prone machine. "Does this count as capturing an enemy unit?"

2B paused. That… wasn't a bad idea. YoRHa didn't typically have the resources to hold machines for research, since threat level frequently scaled with size. Anything complex enough to warrant study tended to be the size of a small building – far too large to feasibly keep contained. Especially if it was still alive and dangerous. If this pseudo-android was the final stage of the machine lifeforms' recent strings of evolution, capturing it would be a major advantage for the android forces.

2B looked down at the flailing machine. It appeared to be trying desperately to keep its face as far from the sand as possible. This task was made significantly harder by 9S's continued poking.

2B looked at her partner, who seemed to be having more fun than was probably warranted. "9S," she called. He stopped his motion, and looked up at her "That idea might-"

Quick as a viper, the machine grabbed the pipe.

.-.-.

Startled, 9S yelped and pulled backwards on the piece of metal. The humanoid entity was tugged to its feet, fabric falling away. Mirroring the Scanner's movements, it yanked as well, wresting the metal pipe from the android's hands.

2B's mind went blank, hands grasping for her weapon. When had she allowed it to fall? No. NO. She wasn't going to make it in time. The enemy was about to-

The machine poked 9S with the pipe.

Taken by surprise, the Scanner took half a step back, missed his footing, and toppled over backwards.

The humanoid entity looked down at him. It smirked.

2B looked on, frozen, as the Scanner yelled in outrage. He leapt to his feet and lunged, but the machine swung to the left in a dodge. It poked 9S with the pipe again.

That was the same expression 9S had worn, not thirty seconds ago. This machine… it was learning from them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw 9S drop into a combat stance, drawing his weapon. In front of her, she saw the machine begin to mimic it, hands gripped around the metal pipe.

"9S, stand down," she ordered, voice snapping through the air.

"WHAT?" 9S cut back, stunned.

"Do not engage," 2B said, attempting to relax her posture. "This is an order."

Grudgingly, 9S recalled his sword. His eyes flicked between 2B and the machine.

Confronted with this new reaction, the machine paused. Wary, it watched the two androids, before finally dropping its pipe to its side.

The three figures stood in the depths of the ruined city, each eyeing the other, none sure of how to make the next move.

.-.-.

"Report: " chimed Pod 153, "Nonhostile machine lifeform detected. As per request, commencing logic virus scan of YoRHa Unit 9S."

Unconcerned with the standoff, the support unit floated over and began analyzing the stunned android. "What are you talking about?" scowled the Scanner. "It was literally just attacking me!"

Pod 042 floated over. "Analysis: this machine lifeform has been copying behavioral patterns from YoRHa Units 2B and 9S. No unprovoked hostilities have been initiated. Conclusion: this machine lifeform is not intrinsically hostile to android lifeforms."

"That… was supposed to be a joke…" 9S muttered, trailing off. 2B could see his mind start to whir to life, absorbing the new information, calculating new scenarios.

2B stiffened minutely as the creature in front of her shifted, and opened its mouth to speak.

"What… is a YoRHa Unit?" Its eyes, surprisingly clear, were lit up with an intense curiosity.

She looked at the machine in front of her. If 2B hadn't witnessed its creation, she would have assumed it to be an android. The only differences were the two crimson eyes peering at her.

A strong gust of wind blew through the area, swirling sand through the air. Almost in unison, the three humanoid beings raised a hand to shield their eyes against the particles. 2B looked at the two other figures in front of her. Side by side, they almost looked like brothers.

She sighed. "They're something you're about to see a lot more of."

2B dismissed her weapon.

* * *

Ending F: Burgeoning [F]riendship.

Realizing that the machine lifeform was nonhostile unless provoked, 2B and 9S resolve the situation nonviolently. Leaving the desert together, the three would go on to build a lasting peace between androids and machines, based on a mutual desire for communication and understanding, as well as a surprising level of empathy.


End file.
